Finnegan Joins Growing Wave of Firms Moving into Texas

On September 2, Finnegan launched an office in Dallas, Texas, its first in the state. Former USPTO regional director Hope Shimabuku and patent trial lawyer Christian Hurt led the office launch. Hope is the managing partner after serving as regional director the USPTO’s southwest regional outreach office, also in Dallas, for more than a decade.

In an interview with Managing Intellectual Property, Hope said, “This is a return to private practice at the right firm, at the right moment.”

“When I initially helped begin the USPTO office in Dallas, I likened it to being at a start-up in a 200+ year organization. I was responsible for the day-to-day, as well as long-term strategic operations. Similarly, Finnegan has a rich history itself, and I am looking forward to building and starting this new office in Dallas.”

Christian joins Finnegan after being a principal at McKool Smith. He said that he was drawn to join Finnegan because of its unique approach to planting its Dallas office.

“Unlike other office openings or lateral moves that plant a flag and hope for the best, Finnegan is committing a rotating group of partners to Dallas, a multi-year integration plan, and the full weight of its national trial bench behind every case we take,” he said.

Hope and Christian say litigation and innovation is growing in Texas. Finnegan chair Frank DeCosta said this growth contributed to the firm setting up a physical presence there.

“We open offices where our clients need us most and where we can add lasting value. Roughly one third of the firm’s active litigations were already in Texas, and we have many clients in the region, so this naturally made sense. It also provides a platform to grow the firm by attracting talent from the Texas market,” he said.

He added that placing experienced local attorneys who are familiar with how Texas venues approach patent disputes will allow the firm’s attorneys to provide the best services for clients.

“Texas is now the most active jurisdiction for patent litigation in the U.S., and Dallas sits at the center of a rapidly growing innovation economy across technology, life sciences, energy, and advanced manufacturing.”

“Being in Texas allows us to better serve clients, strengthen local relationships, and maintain a stronger presence in courts where a significant volume of patent litigation is taking place,” Frank said.

While patent litigation will be a focal point of the Dallas office’s services, Frank said that Finnegan is committed to providing a full range of IP services from the location. This way, clients across practices will have access to the resources they need in order to address their particular IP challenge.

He added that he is confident that under Hope and Christian’s leadership, the Dallas office will position the firm to capitalize on a patent disputes market that is increasingly attracting new entrants.

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